The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-11-10
A GLORIOUS REUNION.
HUNDREDS OF CONFEDER ATE
VETERANS MEET IN LENOER.

dLOr hGHSCIn 3EahtS ii -JtCSi-.
Extract from the Lenoir Topic.
Saturdays weather was Confederate
weather.
Providence smiled upon the veter-
ans, the weather was propitious, the
sun shone and tho day was as lovely
as day in Spring.
What prophet could have fore:old
it? Twas far beyond the ken Of Old
Probabilities. He knew not what sort
Of weather Saturday would bring
| forth.
The great mass of clouds that had
brooded over the whole country for
weeks, dropping and drizzling and
breaking up all the fairs, was broken
up itself and rift made in it for the
sun to shine fer one day only, and
that day for the Confederate veterans,
| and after that the rain began again.
Bright and early Saturday morn
ing crowds of citizens of the county
began pouring into Lenoir, and every
thing and everybody was tall Of life
ard bustling, Veterans, bronzed and
grizzled, one-legged men, one-armei
men, citizens. men, women and child
ren moved about and jostled together
in their holiday clothes and all were
gay and upon pleasure bent. Wagons
ara teams Of all sorts were scattered
about and great hampers Of provisions
hidden away in them foretold the
coming conflict OF the dinner hour.
Early IN the morning the Stars and
Stripes were flung to the breeze from
the masthead Of the signal pole and
waved bravely over the throngs be
meath. On entering the town mt 10
o'clock one had an inspiring scene 10
greet his gaze. The streets were black
with people anC that mysterious hum
ard buzz Of great multitude, its
breath of life, reaching his ears, had
the effect upon him that presence in a
crowd always does upon individuals,
quickly astonishing him and charg
nag him with the magnetism OF the
mass.
What stirring time it was Eve
rybody was in a hurry and yet seem
ingly doing nothing. "Fance's Vet
erans," mounted men-"Buttermilk
Rangers, the veterans called them
galloping madly up and down, through
and across the streets, urging on their
fiery, foaming steeds as if life and
death depended upon their expedition,
And in nine cases out of ten they We're
only in quest Of q pin with which to
adjust their sashes in graceful folds.
These horsemen numbered about
twenty and were relatives Of the vet
erans, who were too young to be in
the war, organized under tie com
nsnd of Captain I. n. Vance to act
as a guard of honor to the veterans
and, riding in front Of the column, to
clear the way for it. They formed on
Spring street and awaited orGers to
march. This body Of men was organ
lied by Chief Marshal Harper for the
purpose of clearing the way for the
progress Of the column and to facili
tate its movements by keeping order.
The committee of arrangements and
the Chief Marshal met at headquar-
tiers in the Pioneer Library and at half
past ten o'clock orders were given to
the companies to form upon the pub
lie square. This was done while the
Conover brass band played Dixie and
other inspiring music.
When it was time for the column
to take up the line Of march, the
mounted escort was marched around
by College Avenue to pass in review
before the veterans drawn up in line
As they rode up, holding their pranc-
ing steeds to the ground, the martial
blast of the trumpets made them
square themselves proudly back in
their seats and they felt as if they
could ride right up to the cannon's
mouth and extract the ball. By the
time they had ridden the gauntlet of
those old vets all the starch was gone,
their horses had quit prancing and
they rode as limp as if they were &c
ing to mill. The veterans called them
"Buttermilk Rangers guyed them
and chaffed them all over with good
natured ralliery. It was all in good
humor, for the veterans began to feel
guod and to remember INV they used
to bedevil the cavalry in the same
way during the war. And all the
time they were proud Of the boys be
cause they laughed at the old soldiers
jokes and they appreciated the motive
these young fellows had in doing honor
to the grand old soldiers who had
smelled powder, by acting as guard
Of honor and as an escort to them.
| X X
From the corner of West Boundary
and West Main streets to the corner
of Spring and Church Streets the vet
Grams, wooden legged and all, marched
and kept splendid step to the beating
of the bass drum by Mr.. G. w. Hol
loway, who was an old war drummer
On Spring Street, Mr.. P. L. Baker
son of the old war fifer, William Ba
ker, now gone to his rest, started il
and accompanied the drum with sucl
stirring airs on the fife as "Polly pu
the kettle on and the like. At til,
sound of this familiar music, unde
which they all enlisted, the veteran
gave the yell that We have been want
ing to hear. 1t was the genuine oil,
, Confederate yell. We had nothing t
do with it but when they yelled "
listened and-yelled too.
The streets on the whole line G
: march were crowded with spectator
and the column On all sides and be
hind was accompanied by solid an
4 ~